Our Picks for the AMA Symposium for Higher Ed 2015

If you’re Chicago-bound this weekend for AMA’s higher education conference, you may be working on your tentative agenda right about now. Need some help deciding which tracks to attend? We suggest these below; great speakers, intriguing descriptions. See you soon!

The synopsis: In a competitive market, the BC MBA program was facing a familiar challenge in higher education today: how do we enroll a bigger and more competitive class of MBA students? Learn how we reinvented our brand and implemented a Push + Pull marketing strategy that has grown the quality and size of our current class. (Psst…request the deck here.)

The presenters:Tim Jones, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Clarkson University; Nick DeNardis, Associate Director of Web Communications, Wayne State University

The synopsis: Marketers in digital world need more than intuition to succeed—they need data. Using web analytics, social media insights and search metrics, marketers can measure almost every aspect of owned, earned and paid digital channels to understand what’s working and what’s not. This comprehensive, hands-on tutorial covers the basics of creating and implementing an analytics and digital measurement strategy.

The presenter:Mark Courtney, Visual Identity Director, University Relations and Public Affairs, New York University

The synopsis: As NYU becomes larger, more diversified, and more active around the world, the challenge is to look and sound like a unified institution. This session includes the practical steps taken to successfully roll-out visual identity standards and guidelines across a global network. We will also discuss how communication audits and creative briefs were used to embed communications strategy into every project, with the goal of expanding the influence and impact of design and branding and strengthen executional excellence across all NYU touch points, both digital and physical.

The presenter:Michele Norris, NPR Host and Special Correspondent, Founder of The Race Card Project

The synopsis: Ever wondered what America’s HIDDEN conversation about race sounds like? From police shootings to protests about the confederate flag to battles over immigration, prickly or explosive events dominate the public discussion about race. But those contentious debates overshadow the private, much more intimate and often much more revealing conversations that percolate below the surface. (More here.)

Pick #5: More than a Pretty Picture: How to Positively Disrupt the University Holiday Card Formula,Track 6 on Monday, 10:15 a.m.

The presenter: Emily Cavalcanti, Associate Dean for Communication, USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The synopsis: How can an institutional holiday card be leveraged for brand messaging and recognition? Learn how the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences’ “We see snow differently” and “We experience peppermint differently” holiday card campaigns incorporated video, augmented reality and social media to engage stakeholders, garner media coverage and build institutional pride.

Melissa is one of CCA’s written-word gurus. Her combined publishing and marketing experience from various national magazines secured her with the unstoppable skills of a scribbling savant and an expertise in strategic thinking.